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Here they are…live and in person! 1 token = 1 free meal (and time with US) at Dixieland Delight!

This is about the most excited I have been for a project in a long while. And that says something because if you know me, you know I LOVE a good project. A few months ago, William designed these wooded nickels. I wrote about our plan on a previous post that you can mosey over to if you’d like (click here).

A little bit of background in case you aren’t aware of what these little beauties are…One of our dearest friends, Tiffany came up with this idea when we were moving away from Austin as a way for us to meet new friends. Keeping in mind my love of entertaining and cooking and Mr. Fancy Pants’ love for people in general, we thought this was amazing. The nickels themselves were fairly inexpensive and we had a blast designing them together.

We’ve been passing these out for the last several months with only ONE couple reaching out to schedule their free dinner (and huge props to them–not only are they amazing, but they’re also Texas Transplants) William and I decided that most people probably don’t feel comfortable just “inviting” themselves over for dinner (understandable) though that was our intention. SO we have designed an invitation using my favorite, Paperless Post, in order to invite our new friends over to cash in their token!!

We have lots and lots for the taking! Better get ’em while they’re hot!

How to document this whole process has been my little project. And I have finally come up with what I would like to do. There is no good reason on why they need to be documented other than the fact that I refuse to let the institution of the dinner party die while I’m still alive. So, if you have a token, expect a whole sha-bang when you come over! Because this Southern lady is itchin’ to entertain!

I’ve decided that we’re going to document our first 50 “takers” by photographing them with a little homemade sign we’re working on (I’ll reveal that when it’s finished), making note of the menu and any fun anecdotes of our time together. I am going to work with William to get a template of a faux photo booth strip to put all of the pictures into (inspiration below) At the end of our social experiment, we’re going to put them all into a book–I think I am going to use Pinhole Press to print it–and it will always be something that we have to remember our time in Portland.

Photo booth strip inspiration. Saw these on Pinterest a few weeks ago and thought they would be PERFECT! Click here to read about it!

Now all I need are some hungry new friends!! And don’t fret out-of-towners. WHEN (not if) you come visit and I cook for you. YOU will be included in this little project too!! Stay tuned for your invitation OR if you don’t have a token yet, let us know! We want everyone to be involved with the Nickel Narratives!

Token for 1 free meal at Dixieland Delight (aka what we affectionately refer to as our house)

Neither William or I can take credit for this amazing idea. My precious friend Tiffany came up with it. Sadly, I can’t remember how the conversation got started but it ended up with us making tokens for people to come over and eat with us! (let me preface this by saying we’re handing them out to people we’ve met…we’re not inviting strangers over to our home for dinner. Let’s not get carried away).

Mr. Fancy Pants finished up this design last night and ordered them today. A box full of wooden nickels (pictured above) are headed our way. We’re planning on handing them out to friends and other people that we meet and want to get to know. That way they can cash in their token for a home cooked meal at our place. We’re thinking about using our Polaroid to take photos of everyone with their tokens when they come over. Trying to think of other fun ways to document this project of ours.

We’re using a company called the Old Time Wooden Nickel Co. out of San Antonio, TX. Here’s a shot of their website (I love it for some reason), and a great video featuring the company explaining their process. I thought it was awesome that they use a 1885 Chandler & Price letterpress and can shell out over 11,000 wooden nickels an hour! I’ve read several reviews on their products and have not found a single person with a negative thing to say. Goes to show that doing things the old fashioned way can still be the way to go!

Old Time Wooden Nickel Co.

Leave it to my amazing friend Tiffany for continually coming up with mind blowing ideas. Leave it to Mr. Fancy Pants to take someone’s idea and turn it in to a fun (and tangible) experiment. And leave it to me to cook the food.

Representing our roots in the PacNW!

If you’re in Portland and want first dibs on a wooden nickel…let us know! COME ON OVER Y’ALL!